YA New York

After reading Martin Wilson’s debut novel, the one I mentioned earlier, the one David Levithan jokingly said should be called La Quinta Weekend, I have decided Martin’s title is infinitely better.

Alex drank Pine-Sol at a party at the start of the school year. His brother James, one year older, is angry and has taken to ignoring Alex. Actually, so has the rest of the school.

Honestly? I’m one of those gals who generally goes for the underdog, so from the start I thought I’d hate James. But as I got to know him a bit better, and as his character grew, I think I might have become his biggest fan. As for Alex, I wondered (like I’m sure everyone does) why he drank Pine-Sol, and what the big bad was that made him do it at a party. Then again, I felt like I could understand his behavior, being a depressive sort myself.

The whole book takes place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and there’s a strong Southern feel to the story. Not that stereotypical Gone With the Wind Southern thing, and not a suggestion that all Southerners are hicks, either. It’s just, if you’ve ever lived in the Deep South, this book is like a photographic reminder of the people and attitudes there. And it’s a good photograph, sure to make you remember both the good and the bad.

Martin’s book is (a) funny, (b) poignant, and (c) full of unexpected discoveries about the two brothers. And so even if the book boasted the unfortunate title of La Quinta Weekend, I’d have to recommend it. And actually, having read it makes me totally want to hang out with Martin and ask him about a thousand questions. Actually, Martin, if you’re reading this, want to play Twenty Questions with me?

Buy What They Always Tell Us from Amazon.com.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.